As mentioned in previous updates, at the Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities on October 29, Council updated the Sewer Capacity Development Review Policy with the intention to reduce the amount of sewer capacity reviews and upgrades needed. The proposed Sewer Capacity Development Review Policy and Guidelines refocuses City staff efforts on applications exceeding a density threshold, those that generate high sanitary flows (e.g. industrial, institutional, and Major Projects), and sites with special servicing requirements, including sites subject to the Rezoning Policy for Sustainable Large Developments.  

The Policy introduces a three-tier review process:  

• Tier 1 – “No Review Threshold”: Less dense sites would be exempt from review and sewer upgrade conditions and would exit the process at this point.  
• Tier 2 – “Low Impact Classification”: Sites would undergo a high-level screening review to estimate system impact and potentially be exempt from sewer upgrade conditions, exiting the process at this point.  
• Tier 3 – “Full review”: Remaining sites would undergo a full technical, modelled sewer analysis to determine sewer system impacts and assign sewer upgrade conditions (or other effective alternatives) as needed. 

 More information can be found in UDI’s submitted correspondence and full report by City staff.  

September 16, 2025

As mentioned in previous updates, on September 16, Council authorized staff to bring forward Bylaw amendments on Rainwater Management Requirements. The City has outlined that they will be eliminating sewer capacity reviews and upgrade conditions for sites with 6 storeys and under. The proposed amendments intend to update requirements for redevelopment on larger sites with higher density without worsening development viability.  

City staff will be reporting back to Council with a written policy for city-wide Sewer Capacity Development Reviews, as well as a summary of conditions removed and benefiting sites in Q4 2025. 

More information can be found in UDI’s submitted correspondence and full report by City staff. 

August 28, 2025

The City of Vancouver has responded to UDI’s July 7 letter regarding the proposed updates to rainwater management requirements, confirming several of our recommendations have been incorporated into the updated approach and related policy enhancements. 

Key highlights from the City’s response include: 

• Sites with a Floor Space Ratio (FSR) of 7 or less – excluding industrial, institutional, and Major Project sites – will no longer be subject to sewer capacity reviews or sewer upgrade conditions under the updated Vancouver Building By-law (VBBL);
• A standardized process has been developed to determine which sites beyond this threshold will still require a sewer capacity review (and possible upgrade condition). Details are outlined in the City’s draft document Application of the Updated Sewer Capacity Development Review Policy;
• The expanded policy was provisionally implemented in July and has already shown measurable benefits for the development industry:
• 21 applications exempted from sewer capacity reviews and upgrades,
• $3.5 million in upgrade conditions removed from five in-stream applications, and
• 14 additional in-stream applications currently under review. 

UDI will continue to monitor implementation and engage with the City as the proposed updates move forward to Council on September 17, 2025. More information can be found in the UDI correspondence submitted to the City, the City’s response, and the updated Sewer Capacity Development Review Policy. 

July 8, 2025

The City of Vancouver is proposing rainwater management requirements, for new developments on sites exceeding 1,000 m2 or with a floor-space-ratio (FSR) greater than 1.0, to take effect with Council approval on January 1, 2026. The City has outlined that they will be eliminating sewer capacity reviews and upgrade conditions for sites with 6 storeys and under. 

The City’s request for feedback can be found here, along with UDI’s submitted correspondence.